Home
by ApplePeaches15
Summary: What would have happened if Kris and Junior ended up going to Alaska for a year?
1. Alaska

**What would have happened if Junior and Kris did end up going to Alaska for a year?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any parts of Wildfire, no copyright infringement intended.**

Eleven months and 27 days. She had been keeping count.

Its not like she didn't love Alaska, it was gorgeous. Everything just seemed so fresh and renewed. They had taken their honeymoon in Fiji liked planned, before heading off to the frozen tundra that is Alaska. Fiji was great, the sat in the sand and just enjoyed being FINALLY married. But all good things come to an end and they boarded a plane to Alaska.

The air there was crisp and refreshing, and she had never seen a more beautiful sunset as the one she was watching with Junior right now. The mixture of gold and different shades of pinks perfectly reflected her feelings at the moment. Their lives were finally about to get back to normal.

The alternative energy project had been going great for Junior. The project was actually starting to get some recognition. They were doing some great work. Not to mention everybody loved Junior, and he absolutely loved the work that he was involved in. In fact he was so involved that he hardly ever got to see Kris.

Kris was proud of Junior, he doing awesome stuff and he really enjoyed it. It wasn't often that someone's career was something they actually loved.

But, she hardly ever got to see him. Still, seeing him everyday (even if not as much as she would like) was still better than not seeing him at all like it would have been if she had stayed back in Freemont. They were still as close as ever and so much in love still. But, she missed him.

The only thing constant was that she ate breakfast with him every morning at a small diner in town. She always ordered pancakes and he always ordered French toast. They talked about his work and plans for the weekends. As much as Kris loved this, she desperately wanted to go home, and she wanted more time with Junior. She wanted to get back to racing, the Ritters, Wildfire, and maybe sometime in the future she wanted to start a family.

She often ended up eating dinner by herself, or with the other wives that had followed their husbands all the way to Alaska (there were more than she thought, making her feel less crazy that she had been for going with him.) Junior just wasn't around as much as she or even himself wanted to be.

She made friends, but she missed her old ones. Mostly, Wildfire.

She missed riding him and most of all she missed their regular talks. He really understood her, and she missed the connection that they had. Leaving him was the hardest thing she had to. But not only that her career was put on hold. After finally getting her jockey's license back she couldn't even race. The fact that she could be back home racing constantly ate her up inside, but Kris would much rather be with her husband.

But, Kris was excited. It had almost been a year and she and Junior were heading home for good on a plane tomorrow morning. Kris and Junior couldn't wait to see the Jean, Pablo, Matt, and Dani. Kris also couldn't wait to have Junior all to herself again.

She sat resting her head on Junior's shoulder while they watched the sun set in Alaska for the last time. She stretched her neck and looked up at him smiling. But, he didn't smile back. Junior had a mixed look on his face, like he was contemplating telling her something or not. Kris' face turned to concern as she stroked the side of his face with the back of her hand.

"Junior what's wrong?"

He didn't say anything, just looked down at his hands. His fingers fidgeted while he shifted in his seat so that he was looking square into his wife's beautiful brown eyes.

Kris looked up into his eyes confused, and saw a glimpse of _I'm sorry_ flash across their glassy surface. Kris started to fiddle with her wedding ring, turning it back and forth on her finger. A sense of nervousness rose inside her as she wondered what could be making him seem so sad, but sorry at the same time.

By the time he spoke, Kris was sitting up fully, had his hand in hers, and was drawing small circles in the palm of his soft hand.

He looked up at her, his eyes shining from the tears that he was trying to hold back. He knew what he was doing was going to hurt her, and no matter how much it was breaking his heart he had to do it. _I only hope to God she understands,_ he thought to himself.

"Kris," he said, his voice hoarse with emotion, "I- I can't go-" he stopped short when he saw the realization dawn on her dropping face. His heart crumbled.

"I can't go back with you tomorrow," he whispered, as she dropped his hands. He slowly closed his eyes and sighed, wishing that he were anywhere but here.

**So this is my first ever fan fiction. I will take any advice or criticism, just please don't be mean about it. Please review and tell me what you think! :0) **


	2. Messes

She couldn't believe him. She had left everything she knew and her life back at Raintree to follow him all the way to Alaska. She couldn't say anything, she could barely breathe; her words were trapped in her mind as it started to race. Her whole body went numb when she thought of all the reasons that he would bail on her now.

_He needs some time alone. But no, _she thought,_ I hardly see him anyway._

_He had a meeting come up that he has to go to. _Once again, she thought _no. That wouldn't make him this emotional._

_He doesn't love me anymore._

The last one hit her hard in the gut as she stood up. She turned around about to walk back into the house, but then on a whim decided to turn back. She forced her feet to crunch back across the ground to where he was sitting.

She stuffed her hands into her coat pocket. At the same time she cursed that coat, knowing that if she were back home she wouldn't constantly have to be bundled up because of the cold weather.

As much as she wanted to, she didn't cry. As much as it felt like her throat was about to close, and as much as her eyes stung, she would not let herself cry.

Her face hardened as she looked at him sitting there, his head resting in his hands. Kris could tell that Junior was shaking a little, but at the moment she didn't care. She didn't care about him, or his stupid energy project. All she cared about was getting away from him and everything she had thought they had.

Memories of their life together flashed through her mind—the night the horses escaped, the party, their wedding, their honeymoon, but she pushed them all to the back of her mind. Thinking about them only made her heart ache more.

At the moment all she had the energy to do was deal with the present.

Kris' fists slowly unclenched from inside her pockets and she let them drop to her side helplessly. She sighed, and watched as her breath rose upward. _Damn cold weather, _she thought.

She watched as Junior turned towards her running his hands through his already messy short hair. He looked up at her angry face. He was expecting her to cry, to beg him to go back to Freemont with her, because it was what she deserved. But she didn't cry; she stood there angrier than he had ever seen her before.

She practically broke him in two with just the disgusted look on her face. As she looked him directly in the eye—challenging him—he finally built up the courage to try and get some sort of an explanation out, or even just a sentence. So, he said what first came to his mind.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as his voice cracked. As soon as he said it, he knew he should have said something else. Hell, even silence would have been better than a pathetic 'I'm sorry.'

"For what." She answered cooly. Her eyes narrowed and she folded her arms tightly.

"For this whole mess!!" He shouted angrily.

Kris looked taken aback. What did he have to be angry about? She was the one whose heart had just been broken by the person she loved. She was the one who felt like her world was falling down around her and all she could do was sit back and watch.

**At Raintree**

Matt and Dani were cleaning the Ritter house for the welcome home party they were having for Kris and Junior later the next day. After Kris and Junior left, Dani and Matt broke up. Dani felt like Matt was still a little hung up on Kris and she didn't want her heart broken once again. At the time she was just so confused about Noah, and still missing RJ.

Dani thought it would be better if she just tried things out solo for a while. So, here they were as just friends.

Unfortunately, Dani realized a little too late that 'just friends' was not what she wanted to be. Matt wasn't with anyone, but Dani had too much pride to immediately go back to Matt and tell him how she felt after how she had hurt him. She made too big of a deal about being friends that she felt is would be hard to go back.

However, going back is the only thing she wanted.

As she swept the floor, she stole sideways glances at Matt. She admired his curly brown hair and warm smile. Her mind drifted back to when everything had seemed so simple and when she and Matt had been happy.

Granted that had been before Kris came to Raintree, and as much as Dani now loved Kris as a sister, she missed the simplicity of what she and Matt had had. By now Matt had noticed that Dani kept staring at him, and he smiled to himself.

"And what are you smiling at mister?" Asked Dani, she had caught him smiling.

"Nothing," he replied innocently, a smile creeping up the corners of his lips. "Just happy to have my best friends coming back."

"Uh-huh," replied Dani laughing. "But seriously." She put on a mock-serious face.

Matt clutched his stomach and burst out laughing. "Well I don't know, why don't you tell me, Miss Davis."

She walked over laughing and hit him playfully with the end of her broom. "And how would I know what is making you smile and act like a giddy little kid," she answered giggling.

"Well, you should." He answered now turning serious. Dani's breath caught in her throat as the realization dawned on her that he had caught her glances. "Because you're the reason," he said softly.

Tentatively, Matt slowly wrapped a piece of Dani's dark hair around his finger. She nervously started to shuffle her feet closer to him, as his eyes searched her face to see if this is what she wanted. Dani slowly placed one hand on his strong chest and looked up into his gentle face. They were about two inches away when-

_SLAM!_ The front door closed violently as Jean walked into the kitchen. Dani jumped away from Matt and in a panic looked around. Her mind went into a daze as she took in the event that had almost taken place.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you," said Jean as she placed a hand on Dani's back. Matt started to laugh and Dani cast him a warning look.

"The weather is horrible, and the winds are unbelievable. I just hope all this rain and wind lets up. I don't want Junior and Kris' flight to be cancelled," she said concerned.

Just then Matt's heart dropped. He missed his friends, and missed all four of them hanging out together. He started to imagine if Kris and Junior would be any different than a year ago, but then suddenly chuckled at the thought. Mostly, because he didn't want to think that things couldn't be like they had been in the past with the four of them. It was fun, like the four of them were a family of their own. He only hoped that things wouldn't change too much. All he could do was hope.

**A/N: Ok so I have had a lot of people saying don't let Junior and Kris break up. While I'm not going to tell you my plans, I will tell you that I am a huge Krunior fan. So have no worries. **

**Oh, and pretty please review I really love to know what you guys think!**


	3. Silence

Kris was sitting cross-legged on the ground staring at Junior. Her butt was numb, and her cheeks and nose were bright pink. But she didn't move, and neither did he.

Having been at this for about half an hour now, she was getting tired. The whole time Junior hadn't said anything, he just stared intently—brows furrowed—at his hands.

_I wonder what he founds so amusing about his hands but not my face,_ she thought smirking.

She knew it was unreasonable to treat him this way, but she wanted to know the reason for his sudden change in plans.

By now it was completely dark and the Alaskan air was growing even colder. Kris shivered under her puffy red jacket.

Once in a while Junior would get a shot of confidence and looked up at Kris, but that confidence was only shot back down with the ice cold stare she was giving him.

She was not about to let him stay in Alaska while she went home. There was no debate to be had. So with that, Kris found herself sitting on the ground staring at him until he decided to tell her what was going on.

She had soon dismissed the thought that he didn't love her. She could tell by the way he was broken up about what he told her that he did care, and didn't want to stay. She had only ever seen Junior cry once, so for him to be crying about this meant that it had to be something big.

The something big, however, was what she had no clue about.

She couldn't understand is why he was staying. _What is it that is making him stay? _As Kris started to think about all this, she realized that whatever it was must surly not be his fault. Junior loved her, and she knew that.

But finding out about whatever it was that was causing this just seemed only to be frustrating her to the edge of insanity and breaking him.

She felt like she was playing a game of Clue without any of the cards. All she could do was guess and hope to end up picking the right answer.

Kris really didn't want to blame anything on him, but she didn't know what else to do. There just didn't seem to be a way to get him to talk.

Junior glanced up quickly and saw her face grow softer, as she was deep in thought. _Why can't she just leave? _He thought. _Doesn't she realize that I am doing this to protect her? But then again, she always was __**so **__stubborn._ He smiled at that thought and started to chuckle.

Kris broke from her thoughts and quickly looked up at him giving him a dirty look. As Junior's face fellKris really did start to feel bad about treating him like this. No matter what he was still her husband and she loved him. Even if not at this very moment.

Kris pulled her knees up close to her and rested her face on them. She breathed in the scent of her freshly washed jeans and then sighed.

Junior watched as Kris slowly forced herself to get up. She stuffed her hands in her jean pockets and trudged over to where he was sitting.

He was still looking down when she silently sat next to him, and placed her hand on his trembling knee. The warmth of her hand sent sparks through his body. _Some things just never change, _he thought, smiling slightly.

Her voice was tentative, as if she was testing it out for the first time. "When you're ready," she said softly, "I'll be inside."

**At Raintree**

Jean was sitting on the couch, a cup of tea warming her hands. She was looking at Matt—who was sitting across from her—with an expecting face.

"What?" He said irritably.

"Nothing. But do you want to tell me why you're in such a bad mood?"

"I'm not in a bad mood. I've just—I've just got a lot on my mind, ok?" He said snappily.

"Alright. You know, you could tell me what it is that's on your mind," she stated matter-of-factly.

"I could, but it involves you." He replied bitterly.

"How on earth does it involve me?" Questioned Jean with raised eyebrows.

"Well, it has to do with your impeccable timing. How long did it take you to learn how to perfect sensing the worst moment to walk into a room?" He stated exasperated.

Jean just looked at her son with a confused expression. Matt made a scrunched up his face and ran his hand quickly through his curly hair. His sighed. _It shouldn't be this hard!_ He thought to himself. But somehow, it was.

So, before he could stop himself, he blurted out rather loudly "I think I'm in love with Dani."

There. He had said it, and he felt great. He lifted up his shoulders and noticed how much better he felt. He smiled to himself, _I love Dani. _He thought. _Now maybe someday I could actually say that to her face. _He smiled.

"Matt?" Broken from his trance, he looked to the doorway. And of course, standing there with an astonished face was none other than Dani Davis.

**To Kris and Junior**

Junior watched as Kris walked back towards the house. She looked defeated. He hated causing her pain. He knew that she gave up everything to be with him. And now, here he was telling her that she had to leave without him.

If he were her, he would have slapped himself for being such an ass.

_How did things get so screwed up? _He thought. He exhaled and looked at the area around him. It was dark, so he couldn't see much. Just a few lights from the houses down the road where the other people working on the project were staying.

Those people had no idea what was going on right now, and it was probably better that way. If they knew, it would only make the situation more chaotic, and Junior wouldn't be able to handle that.

"I can hardly handle this myself," he thought aloud.

The other night when the head of the project had confided into him what he did, Junior thought he might just crumble. This was going to ruin all his life and his plans, but he had to do it.

Sighing, Junior stood up. He ached from exhaustion and felt like he was on emotion overload.

He picked up one heavy foot after another and made his way over to the house. It wasn't like this was Area 51, there was no legal reason he couldn't tell her…yet. Besides, telling Kris would be better that letting her think he was just abandoning her.

He grasped the cold door knob and chills ran all throughout his body. Taking on last deep breath of crisp air he opened the door. _It's now or never._

**A/N: Review and you get a hot fudge brownie sundae!! Lol**

**Oh and I am not going to have access to the internet until after Thursday until Sunday, so I don't know if I will have another chapter up or not tomorrow. If I don't I will probably have one up sometime Sunday. :-)**


	4. An Understanding

**Disclaimer: I do not own any parts of Wildfire.**

The doorknob was cold; he took that as some sort of weird indication that maybe he shouldn't go in. He would have to eventually, but did he have to now?

Or maybe he could just leave. He didn't want to, but then he wouldn't have to go into that house and explain everything. He briefly considered not going in it all.

If he didn't go in, he wouldn't make Kris more upset. He wouldn't have to explain this huge mess. He wouldn't have to break his own heart.

However, if he did go in, Kris would get the explanation she deserved.

Once again deciding that Kris came before everything else, he opened the heavy wooden door. Warm air rushed out and he breathed in the scent of the spaghetti they had had for dinner.

He walked into darkness. Gripping the edge of the desk until his eyes fully adjusted, he noticed Kris lying on her back on top of the bed covers.

Noticing that her breathing was even, he wondered if she might be sleeping. This could both complicate things, and make things easier. On the one hand, he wouldn't have to tell her right away. On the other hand, he couldn't exactly get her to leave without telling her.

Sighing, he sat down heavily resting his elbow on the desk, placing his chin in the palm of his hand. Still weighing the decisions, he hadn't even noticed that Kris was propped up on her elbow looking at him intently.

"I'm not asleep if that's what you're thinking," she stated rather loudly, disrupting his train of thought.

"I—I didn't think that you were." He said lying. She rolled her eyes at him and sat up, resting her back against the cream colored wall.

Kris leaned her head back with a thud against the wall.

_Why the hell can't he just spit it out?! _She thought frustrated. But instead of staying frustrated, she decided to confront him more aggressively. This passive-aggressive thing didn't seem to be working.

"Why won't you just tell me, Junior."

He looked at her. She had her heart on her sleeve, and yet he didn't say anything.

"I'm sick of these games, Junior, ok? I gave you time. Unfortunately, there's not much left until we are **both** supposed to board that plane. You can just as easily tell me right now what the hell is going on, as easily as I can call the airport and have them cancel our flights."

Stunned, he looked up at her face. By now Junior had realized that there was absolutely no way to get around this huge problem. Nodding his head, he stood up and walked slowly towards the bed.

He sat on the edge of the bed, and it slowly sank in. With a look of determination he turned to her. She had her arms crossed and an ornery face.

"You know," he stated, "this would be a whole lot easier if you tried to look less pissed at me."

Seeming to understand, she softened her face just a little. Kris would do whatever it took to know what was going on. She felt completely out of the loop, like when someone misses a full week of school and then goes back, having no idea what the teachers are talking about.

So she sat quietly, waiting for him to continue. After taking one last deep breath, Junior opened his mouth to speak.

"Mr. Paley—"

"The project head?" Kris quickly cut in.

"Yeah, the project head. He did something—stupid."

Kris just gave him a puzzled look.

"Really, really stupid," said Junior frowning. "He's the cause of this whole freaken' mess, and out of chance I got roped into it." He said, spitting out his words.

Sitting up straighter, she leaned forward, peering at him out of curious eyes.

Junior sat for a moment putting together the sentences in his mind. Kris waited silently, but he could tell that she was becoming impatient. He didn't blame her.

So painfully, he continued. "Well, the other week—"

"Wait, week? WEEK? Junior you've known about this thing, or whatever it is, for weeks?! And you bring it up the DAY BEFORE WE ARE SUPPOSED TO LEAVE?"

She was emotionally exhausted. Every bone in her body ached and all Kris wanted to do was sleep and forget this. To not remember any of this, to be back at Raintree with Junior and the Ritters. But now, that was not possible.

Her voice was breaking. "Why would you wait until now?" She said barely above a whisper.

Tears streamed down his face. He couldn't take this anymore. The stress was killing him.

"Because," he choked. "I didn't know how to tell you. I knew you would say no if I asked you to leave without me, but you don't understand. I just really didn't want to hurt you. I figured that if I told you now it would be too late and you would just—just—leave. So I could take care of this. I do plan on going home eventually, just once I settle this."

"Junior." By now she was crying to. She walked over to Junior on her knees and slumped down. Placing her hand on the side of his face, she pleaded with him. Kris was desperate, she couldn't stand not knowing anymore.

"Please, please just tell me what he did and how you got roped into this."

"Ok." He said sincerely, looking into her eyes. He understood.

**To Raintree**

_Shit,_ Matt thought. He hadn't meant for her to hear it like that. He had finally admitted it to himself, and that alone took a lot of guts out of him. He had eventually wanted to tell her in a more romantic way; he hadn't meant for her to find out by walking into a conversation between him and his mom.

_God, what is she thinking right now? _He wondered.

His face turned bright red while his eyes darted around the room. He started to mumble words, trying to spit out something comprehensible. "I—did you—um, how about if…" his words trailed off as he started to shake his knee out of nervousness.

Jean just sat there contently watching this all take place. It took her a while to realize that Matt was staring at her with wide eyes giving her a 'please leave or I might die' look. She hadn't even realized what she was doing.

"Woops," she muttered. "Um, I think that I'll, uh, leave so you guys can, um, talk." She was babbling just as bad as Matt. Jean quickly grabbed her tea and made her way upstairs. Matt and Dani were both silent until they heard Jean's bedroom door close shut with a quiet thud.

Matt glanced up at Dani. She was leaning against the wall fidgeting with her keys. He couldn't help but admire how beautiful she looked even when at the same time she looked extremely uncomfortable.

"I, uh, forgot my purse. So I just came back to get it." Dani said slowly.

She started to make her way towards the kitchen.

"Wait!" Matt said as he quickly stood up. "Let me get it for you." He rushed over towards the kitchen doorway where Dani was and in the process ended up bumping into her.

He quickly backed up and knocked into the table, making the vase full of daisies tip over, water spilling everwhere.

_God, _he thought. _Of all times I pick know to be really clumsy._

"Oh geez, I'm so sorry" Matt stuttered out.

"No I'm sorry, I bumped into you—uh, there's my purse." She said quickly changing the subject as she pointed to a black bag sitting in a spot over on the counter near the cookie jar.

Matt picked it up and handed it to her, hoping she didn't notice that his hands were trembling slightly.

"Thanks," she said flashing him a quick smile. That one smile was enough to make his heart melt.

**To Kris and Junior**

They were sitting on the bed. Kris was anxiously awaiting an explanation from Junior. He didn't want to make her wait any longer; she needed to know, no matter the costs.

"A couple of weeks ago, I walked into his Mr. Paley's office to ask for some time off. I'd just been so exhausted, and I missed seeing you." He said as he wiped away the tears that were still falling down her soft face and smiled.

"When I started to talk to him, he seemed—distracted. He was fumbling around his office stuffing papers into drawers. I tried to get his attention again, but it was like he forgot I was there. I startled him and he dropped all of the papers in his hands."

Kris now transitioned to sitting cross-legged right in front of Junior on the bed. He placed both hands on her knees and continued.

"So I went to help him pick up the papers. I didn't even see what was on them. Then all of a sudden, he just started to, sort of, go crazy."

Kris looked astonished. Mr. Paley was the most level-headed person she had met. She would never expect him to act like that. "He started to accuse me of looking at the papers, and started yelling really loudly."

Junior frowned, trying to remember exactly what had happened. "I tried to calm him down, I sat him in a chair and I asked him if something was wrong. It wasn't like him to act like that." _That's where I went wrong, _thought Junior. _If only I had minded my own business._

He placed his face in his hands, regretting ever going to that office, regretting ever going to Alaska. Kris rubbed his back, encouraging him to continue. He obliged.

"Mr. Paley broke down. Like literally broke down. He just started crying and babbling," explained Junior motioning with his hands. "I couldn't understand him and I wasn't sure what to do, so I stayed. I don't know why the hell I did, I just felt bad leaving him there like that."

Kris shook her head in understanding. He looked at her and a real smile appeared on his face for the first time since that day in Mr. Paley's office. "God, Kris I am so sorry." His sincerity touched her. Now she knew for sure that he really was sorry.

"I still don't understand," she stated, confused. She hadn't wanted to interrupt him, but Kris was still completely foggy on the situation. "I don't understand how this involves you, or why this is even bad?"

His disgust for Mr. Paley was evident in his voice. "You see, those papers had some information on them that would completely screw up Mr. Paley's life."

"What was on them?" Kris couldn't contain herself anymore, she had to know.

Junior sighed once again. He thought just explaining about himself in this mess would be hard enough, and it was.

So how was he supposed to tell Kris about how she was involved in this, and how she didn't even know?

"Mr. Paley, like I said, did something really stupid." He paused before taking a short intake of breath. He finally blurted it out: "Mr. Paley stole money from the government to help pay for the project."

Kris cringed. She turned her head away from him and bit her lip.

She knew that when the geothermal project had first started they were having trouble getting funding. She also knew that Mr. Paley was desperate to get the project started. Apparently, desperate to the point of utter insanity. It was his life's investment, and if it didn't work out, he was pretty much screwed.

"How much." She almost didn't want to know.

"Millions, as far as I know. I don't know the details on how he stole it. From what he told me, he set up some sort of fake account and got tons of money wired into it. Then he just took off with it."

"But Junior," Kris pleaded, clutching his arm. "This doesn't concern us, we didn't help him or know he stole the money. We can still go home." She was desperate; their lives were supposed to be just starting, Kris didn't want this mess.

She was trying so hard to be strong, and not cry, but she couldn't hold back the stampede of tears that were threatening to take over her eyes.

He jumped up off the bed and threw his arms over his head in exasperation, raising his voice.

"Kris, don't you get it? Someone found out about what he did, and now he is going to be in huge trouble if they tell." He raised his voice even louder, and her tears started to fall harder if it were even possible.

She could taste the salt on her lips; quickly she tried to brush them away.

"He confided in me!" Screamed Junior. "He brought me into this by confessing to me what he did. I can't get out of this now." He dropped his arms to his sides, and looked down at his feet.

"He's making me help him," he said hoarsely.

"Junior, please, you don't have to help him!" She was still pleading. This was screwing everything up for them. She wasn't going to let it happen, no matter what Junior or Mr. Paley said.

"Just forget about him, about everything, shake your responsibility for once. Just come home with me!" By now she too had gotten off the bed and was standing right in from of him, holding both his arms.

He looked up into the beautiful features of her face. His whole body shattered when he saw the pain and angst that sat there. This is why he didn't want to tell her, he didn't want this kind of hurt put into her heart. This was crushing her hopes and that was the last thing on earth that he wanted to do.

Slowly he moved her hands from his arms and back to her sides.

"Kris, I have to—"

She cut him off. "No! You don't. Please—"

"KRIS!!" He too was now crying hard, and his voice shook. He really didn't want to tell her this, it would make things so much worse than they already were. But, it was the only way it seemed that he would get her to understand.

"Kris." His voice was soft and gentle as he spoke these words. "He threatened your life."

**A/N: Whew, that was a long one. :) As always PLEASE REVIEW they make me happy!!**


	5. A knock At The Door

**Disclaimer: I do not own any parts of Wildfire.**

The room was spinning and she couldn't seem to stand still.

The pictures on the wall were all a blur of people rushing together, and her head was pounding like she had just been hit by a truck.

Kris thrust her hands to her temples trying to stop the pounding. _He's doing this because of me. _Those words repeated over and over in her head forcing all other thoughts out. She couldn't focus on anything but those words, and the fact that she couldn't feel her feet or hands anymore.

Slowly sinking, she started to whimper. Feeling the energy drain from her body, she stopped fighting and let the heaviness take over her eyelids and entire body.

Junior looked at her, concerned. Never before had he seen her so shocked and upset except for when the time Wildfire had supposedly been stolen. He had seen her sad, like if she lost a race or the time he drove her to the bus station to say goodbye to her mom. But never this distraught before. Memories of past times flashed through his mind:

_The gravel crunched underneath the tires of his black Porsche. He saw her walking on the side of the road near the white fence. He quickly pulled to a stop and his brakes screeched._

_Kris slowed down and gave him a funny look._

"_Need a lift to the bus station?" He said reaching over and placing one hand on the headrest of the passenger seat. His eyes glinted._

"_How do you know," Kris said, frowning._

"_Matt called, said you're mad at him. And, to give you a ride. So c'mon." He patted the headrest._

_Kris shook her head and looked around. "Why is this your problem?"_

"_Because, I don't want your mother leaving town without talking to you."_

"_What?" She said shaking her head again._

"_My mom left in a taxi. That's all I remember. I was so young, I had nothing to say about it. You do." He explained sincerely. She looked down at the car then up at him, and finally got in._

He remembered that day perfectly_, _Kris hadn't even cried at the bus station. Kris was always so strong, but this time it seemed like too much for her.

He looked over at her swaying body. Her eyes were clenched tightly together. At first she held her stomach, then she turned around and put her fists up to her temples. Her face was in a grimace, and Junior quickly grew concerned.

Junior rushed over to where Kris as standing and gently laid his hands on her shoulders, trying to stabilize her.

"Kris…KRIS! Look at me honey." Junior was growing more concerned by the second; she seemed totally out of it.

Kris looked up into his eyes for one short moment, enough for him to read everything that was going on in her mind. He could tell she was tired and wanted to go home, this was just too much on her plate right now. But he could also tell that she loved him, and was really sorry that she was the reason for him staying.

The fact that she felt like it was her fault for him staying tore Junior apart. "Kris, believe me this is not your fault." Tears fell softly down his cheeks, but he didn't care.

He thought that he saw her nod her head, but then just as fast as they had opened, her shining brown eyes closed as she fell into his strong, comforting body.

**To Dani**

_What's wrong with me, this is what I wanted, this is what I have been waiting for. So why am I walking away and making him feel terrible? _Dani fought with herself about what had just happened. She loved Matt, and she knew that. It's not like they hadn't done this before.

But this time, it felt different. When they were first dating Dani had thought they were in love, and even said it. _But then why does this time feel so different?_

Dani finally realized that it was because this time, there was nothing in their way. No scary futures, no unknown territory.

They had gone through so much together in these past few years, and it felt like she finally knew him so well, even though they had grown up together.

She felt like she knew Matt better as the person he grew up to be, and not just her boyfriend, or someone she was supposedly in love with.

This time, however, she knew for certain that she was in love with Matt. Whether it was by the butterflies in her stomach, or the fact that she slowly felt herself turning around and heading back towards the house, she knew that this was big.

_And hopefully, something I can handle. _She thought to herself nervously.

**To Kris and Junior**

Feeling Kris go limp, Junior immediately picked her up under her knees and arms, and carried her swiftly over to the bed.

Gently, he laid her down. Smoothing her hair back from her forehead, he started to panic.

"Come on Kris, wake up, please," He murmured intertwining his fingers with hers.

Junior quickly went to the bathroom and ran a washcloth under cold water. Wringing it out, he shuddered. This was not like Kris. She wasn't one to faint or break down; Kris always seemed like more of a rock to him than he was to her.

After quickly splashing his own face with cold water, Junior ran back to Kris' side and placed the cold washcloth on her forehead.

He knew she would wake up, but the wait was killing him. His mind couldn't stop running into thoughts that he knew were irrational, but at the same time still really frightening.

_What if she never wakes up? What if I have to go home alone, and live the rest of my life alone without her? _

While these thought plagued his mind like a parasite, he started intently at her face, begging her to wake up soon. He leaned down and softly laid his lips on her forehead, giving her a gentle kiss.

After minutes that had seemed like hours, her eyes flickered, and slowly opened. Junior watched as she snatched his hand, confused, and tried to steady her breathing.

"Junior, what—"

"Shhh," He whispered stroking her hand and helping her sit up. "It's alright," he said, kissing her forehead once again, "you fainted is all." Saying that was much easier than dealing with it. Junior tried to sound calm about it, even thought he himself had been scared to death.

"Ugh…" She moaned, burying her face in her hands. Her head throbbed, but she was more embarrassed about what she had done.

Fainting was not something she wanted people to feel sorry for her about. She was mad, thinking that she shouldn't have gotten so worked up to the extent that it caused her to faint. She felt completely ridiculous.

Seeming to read her mind, Junior cut into her thoughts. "Hey, look at me." He said taking her chin in his hands.

Her face was red with embarrassment, and she refused to meet his eyes. "Don't you ever feel bad about this, okay?" He stated firmly, looking into her face.

Finally meeting his gaze, Kris felt a whole new wave of tears form at the back of her eyes. Just looking into his eyes she could tell that he cared so much, and that only made her want to stay more.

But, she knew that she would be hurting him if she did stay. He was risking everything right now, and the least she could do was try not to be a complication. Even when it seemed like not being a complication would make both of them happier.

Kris took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Then she wiggled out of Junior's grasp and walked over to her packed suitcase. With shaky hands she opened the zipper, and reached her hand in.

After a few moments of fumbling around and searching in her suitcase, she pulled out a small silver frame.

The frame was simple with engraved lilies as a border. In it was a picture of her and Junior after first arriving in Fiji. They were standing in the doorway of their hotel room; Junior was holding Kris like a groom does when he carries his bride over the threshold of their home after just getting married.

She was wearing her bathing suit top and jean shorts, while he was wearing a pair of swimming trunks. She frowned, wishing she could go back to then when there wasn't anything to trouble them.

However Kris knew that you can never go back, and the only thing they could afford to focus on now was the future.

She stroked one finger over their happy care-free faces before turning to Junior. Opening his hands, she placed the picture frame in his hands.

Looking up into his face, she finally let the tears that had been threatening her eyes yet again, fall.

He set the picture down on the bed and wrapped his arms around her small frame. She sobbed quietly into his shirt, making it damp. Listening to his steady breathing calmed her, and before long she had stopped crying.

She wiped her eyes of any left over tears and gripped his shoulders firmly. Lifting up one hand she quickly slapped him across the face.

Completely surprised, Junior's eyes widened and his mouth hung open.

"That," she said still clenching his shoulders, "was for not telling me about this sooner." She then smiled, and he returned it. They seemed to understand each other perfectly.

Turning serious, she pointed to the picture on the bed. "And that is for when you miss me." Her voice was soft, and full of sadness.

A single tear dripped from his eye as he once again enveloped her in his strong arms. She had finally understood. Kris let herself sink into him, taking comfort in his familiar smell.

She lifted her lips up to his ear. "Just get this over with, and come home soon, ok?"

He nodded solemnly and kissed her hard. He put everything he had into that kiss so that she would know he really truly was sorry. Their mouths danced with each other for a long time before Kris broke apart reluctantly.

"I think it's time we get to bed," she said glancing at the clock. Nodding her took her hand and they laid down in bed together.

She had her head in the crook of his arm while his head rested on hers. Finally about to fall asleep, their peace was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door.

"Mmm, make them go away," she groaned.

"Okay," Junior replied laughing. He kissed her quick on the head and stiffly rose from the bed.

While Junior was walking to the door, the person knocked furiously once more.

"Geez, one second," he mumbled. Yawning, he opened the door. The person pushed it open forcefully from the other side.

Junior's brain took a moment to catch up with who was standing in front of him. But when he did, he froze on the spot. He wanted to run, he wanted to yell, but he couldn't seem to make his body do anything but stand there, stupidly.

So, like a deer in the headlights, he just stood there as the man pushed him farther into the house.

"Get you coat," he rasped into Junior's ear.

Junior grabbed his coat off of the hanger and slipped it on. He pushed past the man and went outside, hoping to avoid Kris getting involved in this.

"Hey hey, no so fast." He said calmly, but digging his fingers into Junior's arm. "Let's not forget the lovely Mrs. Davis."

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, I love you!! And I will love you even more if you review again! Lol. :0)**


	6. A Long Night

**Disclaimer: I do not own any parts of Wildfire.**

"Hey hey, not so fast." The man said calmly, but while digging his fingers into Junior's arm. "Let's not forget about the lovely Mrs. Davis."

Now Junior really couldn't move. By now it looked as if getting Kris out of Alaska safely was not going to be an option.

Mr. Paley thrust Junior back into the house and pointed over to Kris' sleeping figure.

His heart was breaking, there was no way he wanted Kris anywhere near this problem. If you could even call this mess just a 'problem.' To him this was his world that could be crumbling. That was much more than a problem.

Junior was just about to turn around and throw this all in Mr. Paley's smug face when he felt the barrel of a gun pressed up against his back.

He gulped loudly as his breathing quickened. Sweat started to sneak its way down his face.

"Let's not make this any harder than it has to be, if you catch my drift." Sneered Mr. Paley.

Junior nodded, which was about the only thing he could get himself to do.

Junior walked as slowly as he could over to the bed. He was taking his time, silently hoping that just maybe Mr. Paley might realize what exactly he was doing, and leave. He knew the idea was stupid and irrational, but that was pretty much all that Junior had left to hope on.

He sat down on the bed.

Feeling the mattress sink slightly underneath him, he bitterly thought about the situation. He felt that that is just was his life was right now, something that was so fluffy, soft, and perfect, but that was now slowly sinking and deflating.

Placing one clammy hand on the side of Kris' warm face, Junior bent down and placed one gentle kiss on her lips.

Her eyes slowly blinked open and a huge smile spread from one side of her face to the other, lighting up the dark emptiness that now filled both the room and his heart.

Once again Junior had a flashback to other times when that smile would make his heart flip.

_She was sitting on the rock, just looking out thoughtfully into the night. He slowly crept up beside her and turned the flashlight in his hand on, shining it up from underneath his chin._

"_Hey," he said smiling. "Couldn't sleep?" Kris looked down at the lantern in her hands. "Me neither," he said._

"_Can I sit down?" Asked Junior already climbing up._

"_Yeah, if you're quiet," Kris whispered. _

_After a few moments of sitting in the silence, Junior leaned in and whispered in her ear. "What are we looking for?"_

"_Whatever we see," she replied with an obvious tone._

_Junior just nodded his head. "This afternoon, when you talked about your mom, and those guys and that, you said it wasn't a secret. But it was. I know it bothered you."_

"_Are you trying to be a smartass?" She retorted without hesitation._

"_No!" Junior said raising his hands a little in surrender._

"_What do you know," Kris said agitated._

"_I know," he said sincerely. "And you know why? Because I watch you. I have no idea what makes me do it. Every time you turn your head, every time you laugh out loud, or lift your hand to drink a cup of coffee. Or the way your smile spreads from one side of your face to the other."_

_He pointed at her as she smiled, while trying to hide it._

That was the smile that he had fallen in love with, and that was the same smile that was now tearing him to pieces.

Chewing on his lower lip, he helped to pull her up into a sitting position.

"Uh, can you get your coat on?"

"Junior, what are you talking about?" Kris asked confused. She looked around the room while her eyes adjusted. They fell on Mr. Paley who was leaning in their doorway with that stupid smirk still plastered on his face.

Immediately her eyes traveled back to Junior. He already had his coat on. She gazed up into his face, and saw his eyes pleaded with her to just go along with it.

"Y-Yeah, okay," Kris agreed, frightened. Stepping out of bed, her feet hit the frigid floor. Quickly, she pulled on a pair of boots and her warm jacket.

Junior took her numb hands in his. "It's gonna be okay. Don't worry."

He said this to comfort Kris, but he was also trying to comfort himself. It didn't seem to be working, because he could feel his knees start to tremble. He only prayed he could be strong for her.

She nodded slowly, like she was still processing what was happening. She took his hand and gave it a quick squeeze before turning towards the doorway.

Mr. Paley no longer looked amused, he looked annoyed. He placed a hand on both of their backs and shoved them out of the door into the ominous night.

Kris used to think of Alaska as a warm, soft blanket. Not because of the temperature, obviously, but because it always felt so safe. You never hear of serial killers and murderers running around in Alaska.

Although it may be cold, it was comforting to her. Where they lived was the kind of place where you didn't need to worry about locking your door, or taking the keys out of your car.

But now, the air felt different. There was a sense that it knew the situation, and it sure was showing it.

The night was even colder than normal, and clouds were littered throughout the sky blocking any hopeful glimmer that the twinkling stars had to give off.

The only thing that shone was the full moon. It hung suspended in the murky sky watching these events unfold. Its unfriendly gaze beat down hard on Kris.

_Oh just perfect, a full moon, _she thought bitterly. _And this would be the part of the horror movie where the killer werewolves are released. Fantastic, why don't you just bring on the worse now so we can get it the hell over with._

She kicked the ground with her boot.

A dog barked suddenly, scaring her half to death. She jumped knocking into Junior causing him to trip.

"Junior, I am so sorry," she said rushing over to help him up.

"It's okay, really." He said giving her a warm smile.

"Ugh, you two disgust me," spat Mr. Paley. Lost in her own thoughts, Kris had almost forgotten he was there—she quickly grew very silent.

Junior stood up and brushed off his pants.

"So, what exactly do you plan to do with us," Junior asked Mr. Paley. He wasn't exactly sure if he actually wanted to know, but it seemed better than just walking around in the cold wondering.

"Well, Junior, like I already said. I need your help."

And with that they had arrived at the doors of a dark green truck.

"If you'll please," motioned Mr. Paley towards the now open car doors. "And Junior, as I've already said, we wouldn't want this to get too out of hand." He flashed him a view of his gun.

Junior nodded mutely as he grasped Kris' hand. It was going to be a long night.

**A/N: Not very good, I know. Sorry :( I will try to have a better one tomorrow or Friday.**


	7. Beth

**Disclaimer: I do not own any parts of Wildfire.**

They were all crammed together in the front of the truck. Mr. Paley was driving, Junior was in the middle, and Kris was on the right.

The night had been so cold, but now the inside of the truck was burning up. Kris would have given anything to be back outside than inside the stuffy truck.

She could tell Junior felt it too; his hand that was clasping hers was sweaty. But neither of them said anything.

Kris guessed that they had maybe been driving for about half an hour. But then again, time seemed to be stalling for her lately. The occasional sniffle or cough was the only sounds to be heard, other than the crunch of the road underneath the trucks' wheels.

Stealing a glance at Mr. Paley, Kris noticed that he had a funny look on his face, almost as if her were—anxious.

_Anxious._

_Nervous. _

_Worried._

These thoughts gave Kris a renewed hope. If Mr. Paley was worried about this, then maybe he wasn't the tough guy he appeared to be. Maybe he didn't exactly know what he was going to do.

Junior gave her hand a squeeze, reassuring her that he had it all under control.

Kris laughed to herself. She loved Junior, but sometimes he was so funny. She knew for a fact that he had no idea what they were going to do, and that he was just trying to comfort her. Still, his efforts did make her feel better. She returned the squeeze.

Suddenly the car came to a screeching halt. They all lunged forward a little bit.

"Sorry," said Mr. Paley smirking. His confidence seemed to be back.

Quickly pushing his door Mr. Paley stepped outside. The cold air rushed inside refreshing Kris and Junior.

They in turn stepped outside. Kris spun around and took in her surrounding, her eyes were still adjusting.

There was a gas station that looked closed, a few houses, and a few very large pine trees. They hung over their heads peered down through thick branches.

Rubbing her arms she turned towards the other direction and saw what they were her for. A Bank.

Mr. Paley grabbed Kris and Junior by the arm and pulled them along roughly towards the bank. It hadn't closed yet, there were still lights on inside and one very bored looking employee.

When they reached the door Mr. Paley yanked Kris and Junior to the side.

Turning towards Junior, he smiled. "Ok, Junior, here's your chance to help me out." He nodded his head towards the bank.

Junior's draw dropped. "I don't have that kind of money," he replied quickly, wringing out his hands.

"Now don't play stupid with me," Mr. Paley spat. "I know that your father has set up quite an account, and I know that you can get access to it."

Junior was stuck, he didn't know what to do. It seemed like there was no way out of this. If he said no, Mr. Paley might harm him, or worse, Kris. He tried to save time by not answering, but that couldn't last for long. He looked up into Mr. Paley's eyes, defeated.

"That's what I thought," rasped Mr. Paley. Kris truly looked terrified now. Not because of the money situation, but more about what Mr. Paley would do with them once he had the money.

"So here's what you're gonna do, Junior." Breathed Mr. Paley. "Go up to the clerk and ask for a withdrawal. When they hand you the slip, write down the amount and your other information. Have the money wired to my personal account. Its that simple," he sneered.

"But, I don't know the amount," croaked Junior.

Mr. Paley pulled Junior by his collar and whispered in his ear. Kris watched as Junior's eyebrows shot up and his mouth gaped open. It must have been a lot of money if a kid who had grown up in money was stunned.

Junior pulled away with a look of disgust. After staring hard at Mr. Paley for a moment, he reluctantly pushed open the glass doors leading into the bank. Kris and Mr. Paley followed.

Junior walked straight up to the clerk and caught her off guard. "Withdrawal please." He just wanted to get this over with as fast as possible.

After fumbling around behind the counter she produced a slip. "Fill this out please." Junior nodded solemnly and took the paper from her hands.

His father was going to kill him, and just when they seemed to be working things out. He didn't want to disappoint his dad like this; he didn't want to disappoint him at all anymore. He had moved past the other things, but he knew this would crush their mended relationship. He really did want his dad in his life.

Sighing, Junior snatched a pen from the desk. He tapped it against the table while trying desperately to think of a way out of this. Suddenly, he got an idea. He didn't know why he didn't think of it before, but for the moment he was just glad he thought of it at all.

He pretended to take a long time filling out the form. Mr. Paley and Kris were standing a couple of feet behind him.

Mr. Paley still had his hand clutched on Kris' arm. The clerk eyed them weirdly, and kept glancing between them and Junior. The clerk was around Kris and Junior's age and her name tag read Beth. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her eyes were tired.

Junior pretended to sign the slip. He then shakily handed the paper over to Beth. She looked at him confused, there was nothing on it. She looked up and opened her mouth to say something about it but Junior just gave her an encouraging look and nodded his head toward the paper.

Scanning the bottom of the page, he blue eyes grew wide. Written carefully on the bottom of the slip were three words, _Please Help Me._

Junior's eyes pleaded with the Beth. He debated for a while about what to write, but he figured that what he wrote would hopefully be enough. She looked back over to Kris and saw tears forming in her brown eyes. Beth slowly nodded her head, and Junior prayed that she understood.

"Uh, one moment please, this will take a while," said the girl. Junior nodded thankfully, flashing her a warm smile. She just nodded her head again and reread the slip.

Mr. Paley looked impatient; he tapped his foot on the floor in annoyance. No one noticed what the clerk was doing except for Junior.

He watched as she calmly slipped her hand underneath the counter, pressing a red emergency button. She then proceeded to sit at her computer and pretend like she was concentrating on the transfer.

Junior walked over to Kris and pulled her into a hug. He moved his lips towards her ear. "Pretend to go to the bathroom, and don't come out until you hear me say its okay," he whispered.

She nodded mutely, and then walked up to the clerk. Honestly, she didn't want to leave Junior's side, but she figured that he had a reason for telling her this and that he must have come up with something. "Do you have a restroom?" She asked.

"Yeah, around the corner," she replied with worry in her eyes.

"Thanks." Junior watched as Kris disappeared towards the bathroom.

Mr. Paley turned towards Junior with fire in his eyes, but not saying anything. He didn't want to cause a scene, but he also didn't want Kris to be out of his sight.

Junior just turned his head away and relaxed a little. The authorities would be here soon, and Kris seemed to finally be out of danger.

They sat in the hard wooden chairs, and waited. Minutes felt like days, and Junior could see the clerk grow more nervous. She glanced at the clock and continued to fiddle around on the computer.

"How much longer," said Mr. Paley, annoyed.

"Not too much," the girl replied coldly. Just then Junior glanced out the window and saw flashing red lights a little off in the distance.

Relief flooded through his body, and he looked up at the girl thankfully. She noticed the police cars too and sighed with relief back into her chair, rubbing her neck.

As the police cars got closer, Junior started to hear their sirens. The sirens that would of course give away the fact that they had called the cops on Mr. Paley.

_Shit, _he thought. _Shit, shit, shit! _ He slammed his fist on the arm rest of his chair. He had thought that things would finally go smoothly the way he wanted, and who would have thought that it would be the police that would ruin that. Mr. Paley heard the sirens too, and looked to Junior completely stunned.

"Why you little—" He said grabbing hold of Junior's jacket and hoisting him up. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his handgun.

Kris was in the bathroom the whole time, scared to death. She then heard Mr. Paley screaming at Junior, and she knew that there was no way she was just going to sit and listen to the events unfold.

Kris quickly ran from the bathroom and towards the main room again.

She yelled out his name when she saw the gun. "Junior!"

Junior's head spun to where she was. His face turned pale. "Kris, no! Go back!"

But Mr. Paley then pointed the gun in her direction. "Should've listened like a good little girl," he shouted as his finger cocked the gun.

Kris stood frozen. _This is not happening. This is NOT happening. _But it was, and all she could do was stand there, motionless.

Then they all heard the sound of the doors being thrown open with force as the police entered. All Kris could hear were shouts and yells while she stood there completely frozen.

While Mr. Paley was distracted for than moment, Kris snapped back to her senses and edged away from where his gun was pointing.

Mr. Paley turned back and saw Kris moving, "You little bitch!" He screamed. Junior watched in horror as he fired. Kris fell to the ground, narrowly missing what could have been a bullet to the head.

A police officer then tackled Mr. Paley to the ground, pinning him down so that he couldn't move. He removed the gun from his hand, then forced him into a standing position.

They all watched as he was hauled away roughly into a police car. Junior immediately ran over to where Kris was huddled with her hands over her head.

"Kris, hey. I'm here. It's okay." He said pulling her into a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around his strong body and cried, cried until she felt completely drained. Junior rocked her back and forth while his own tears fell from his face onto her silky hair.

Once they had both calmed down enough, they shakily stood up, leaning on each other. A police officer strode over to when they were standing. He looked at them with concern.

"Mr. and Mrs. Davis, I know that it's probably the last thing you want to do right now. But we really need you to come down to the station and make a statement."

They both sighed and nodded. Before they left, Junior swept her up in a big kiss. He traced her face with his thumb and she wrapped her hands around his neck. "I love you," he whispered as he leaned his forehead on Kris'.

"I love you too," she said smiling.

As they were leaving, Junior stopped in front of Beth.

"Thank you," he said sincerely.

"No problem," she replied with a weak smile. He pulled her into a quick hug and walked back over to Kris.

He wrapped his arm around her waist, and she wrapped her arm around his. She walked out leaning her head on his shoulder.

As much as she didn't want to go down to the station, she knew they had to. And that wasn't really what mattered. What mattered was that this whole thing was over and done with, and they could finally go home.

"So," said Junior as if he were reading her thoughts, "Home?" He checked his watch. "In four hours." He said laughing.

"Yeah," she replied looking up into his dark eyes. Her grasp tightened around his waist, "Home."

**A/N: So what do you think? Please review! And also, please don't hate me. I will probably not be able to update for a few weeks or even a month. My family is going to our cottage and I don't have internet there. But the story is not over, just please be patient with me. : (**


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